United States v. Cotton

United States v. Cotton
Argued April 15, 2002
Decided May 20, 2002
Full case nameUnited States v. Leonard Cotton, et al.
Docket no.01-687
Citations535 U.S. 625 (more)
ArgumentOral argument
Opinion announcementOpinion announcement
Holding
The court held that the omission from a federal indictment of a fact that enhances the statutory maximum sentence does not justify a Court of Appeals' vacating the enhanced sentence even if the defendant offered no objection at the trial court
Court membership
Chief Justice
William Rehnquist
Associate Justices
John P. Stevens · Sandra Day O'Connor
Antonin Scalia · Anthony Kennedy
David Souter · Clarence Thomas
Ruth Bader Ginsburg · Stephen Breyer
Case opinion
MajorityRehnquist, joined by unanimous
Laws applied
Controlled Substances Act
This case overturned a previous ruling or rulings
Ex parte Bain (1887)

United States v. Cotton, 535 U.S. 625 (2002), is a United States Supreme Court case that held the omission of a fact in a federal indictment that would enhance the maximum sentence is not a jurisdictional error and thus is not justification for a vacation of the sentence.